Osi Umenyiora Hurt

The ability of the New York Giants to defend their Super Bowl title took a major hit on Saturday night.

According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Umenyiora suffered a torn MCL, and will miss the entire season.

Umenyiora suffered the injury in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Jets. It’s not the first time a key member of the team’s defense was lost for the year in the annual showdown with the team that shares a stadium with the Giants. Several years ago, cornerback Jason Sehorn tore an ACL while returning a kickoff against the Jets. He was never the same after that.

The loss of Umenyiora will prompt immediate speculation that Michael Strahan might be lured out of retirment. It was widely believed that, if the Giants had paid Strahan enough money, he would have returned for another year. Now that Umenyiora is gone, the Giants might be inclined to break the bank to bring back Strahan.

Without Umenyiora or Strahan, look for the Giants to move Mathias Kiwanuka or Justin Tuck (or both) to defensive end on a full-time basis.